Saturday, 5 April 2014

Female
Genital Mutilation (FGM) involves the partial or total removal of a girl’s
external genitals. FGM can take place when the girl is still a baby, during
childhood, adolescence, at the time of marriage or during the first labour. It
all depends on the ethnic group practicing it. FGM is sometimes called Female
Genital Cutting (FGC) or Female Circumcision (FC) although it bears no
resemblance to male circumcision.

·Type IIIThe clitoris, inner labia, and outer labia
are cut away and the remaining skin is sewn or sealed together to cover the
urinary opening and entrance to the vagina. This is the most extreme form of
FGM, involving removal of almost two thirds of the female genitalia. Type III
constitutes 15% of mutilations performed world-wide.

The Domba is a pre-marital initiation, the last one in the life of a Venda girl. The
chief or sovereign will 'call' a domba and preparations are made by the
families for their girls to be ready and to prepare what’s necessary to attend
the ceremony (entry fees for the ruler, clothes and bangles).

Historically girls used to stay with the chief for the whole duration (3
months to 3 years) of the initiation; nowadays because of schooling, girls only
spend weekends at the ruler’s kraal.

This rite of passage was attended by both girls and boys after each
individual had previously attended other separated initiations dedicated to
one’s gender; Vhusha and Tshikanda for girls and Murundu for boys (the
circumcision done during this rite has been introduced by Vhalemba). Since the
missionaries decided that mixing males and females in the same ceremony was
immoral.

Only girls attend the Domba which has two main functions teaching girls how
to prepare themselves to become wives (birth planning, giving birth and child
care, how to treat a husband, and nowadays the teaching of AIDS risks); and
bringing fertility to the new generation of the tribe

Musevhetho

Musevhetho is the initiation rite for girls that initiates a girl from a baby
to the stage of puberty (i.e., before the girl starts menstruating) (Milubi,
2000). This rite is referred to as “u kwevha”, it involves elongation of the
girls’ labia minora, which is sometimes called sungwi, and said to be
equivalent to the murundu. Musevhetho initiation comes from the Bapedi tribe
wherein the girl should perform the exercise of labia minora. The role of this
initiation school among the Tsonga or Shangaan, according to Xitlhabana, cited
in Milubi (2000), is referred to as “mileve” (i.e. sexual appetizer). This is
said to harness men into a fulfilling relationship.

Women who have
elongated labia minora are perceived and perceive themselves as having attained
a higher level than those who have not. They perceive themselves as having an
advantage of acquiring marriage and can sexually satisfy men better than those
who have not elongated. Thus, those who have not elongated are always ridiculed
by those who have elongated by calling them names such as shuvhuru,
master-mistress and also through the usage of generic terminology (Milubi,
2000).

Reasons Given

It is the duty of
women to keep men in monogamy marriages. If a man is not happy he can
either leave or have more wives. However a woman can not enjoy such
privilege. Often men are believed to leave or look for a mistress if they
are not sexually satisfied. To try and help reduce this, women have to do
all they can to make sure the man does not look elsewhere.

Having elongated
clitoris and using powders is believed to increase sexual satisfaction. As
a result of this women are taught at a very early stage (8 -12) to do
everything possible in keeping their men happy. This then includes
elongating or pulling their clitoris (Kutanya
matinji) so as to give a man maximum sexual joy.

Mistaken belief that it is part of culture

Social Acceptance

Raising
Girls

From the age of about seven or eight, girls start
to help in the house, and in rural areas boys of that age begin to learn to
herd livestock. Children are encouraged to take on adult tasks from an early
age. This is when the girls are made to pull their clitoris in preparation for
marriage.

Upon reaching puberty,
aunts, grandmothers and mothers play an active role in ensuring that the girl
child understands her sexuality and the implications it brings upon her life.

“Don’t play with boys” is
a favourite phrase that characterizes the puberty stage, however the Shona
culture is very conservative to the extent that sexual issues are not discussed
openly. Even the pulling of clitoris by girls is not to be discussed
openly.It’s a family duty to make sure
that custom is passed on to generations to come. As a result the phrase becomes so confusing
for girls who begin to treat their counterparts with a wary eye without full
information on why they should do so.

Furthermore, as one grows
up, biological instincts win the battle and the female enters into sexual
relationships and there is always the ambivalent feeling that at one end it
feels good to be in a relationship whilst at the other end one feels guilty
because of culturally cultivated attitudes and norms.

Along the process a lot of
mistakes do happen like unwanted pregnancies or forced abortions and society does
not spare such women as they are labelled as ‘spoilt’.

Males are free to
experiment sexually at will before marriage whilst females have to preserve
their virginity for marriage or risk tarnishing the image of the family since
the Son in law will not pay ‘mombe yechimanda’. This is a cow offered to
the in-laws as a token of appreciation for ensuring that his wife preserved her
virginity. This custom holds much value in the Shona culture and in some parts
of the country.

Marriage is sacred and a
married woman is treated with respect, in fact the desired destination of most
Shona women is marriage. In marriage, the husband can have as many wives as he
wants and can have extra-marital affairs as a bonus. When such a scenario
happens, however, it is the wife who is blamed for failing to satisfy her
husband or for failing to curb his desire to do so.

Risks

Although the procedure differs from type 1 -3 stated
by the WHO above, the fact that this is expected of young girls, it is
still child abuse and more needs to be done in raising awareness in parts
of Southern Africa. These girls do not
know what it is they are being asked to do. In addition, there is danger
of infections, bleeding and bodily harm while they are doing this.

Mentally it is torture and therefore should be
tackled the same way as other forms of female genital mutilation.

This type of female genital mutilation also does
not add any medical value to a woman’s body.

Extensive damage of
the external reproductive system

More has to be done in
raising awareness of the harm of all the types of female genital tampering.(
Types 1- 1V)

Quotes

Married to a Devil

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I write about issues that affect women mostly in the underdeveloped parts of the world. My first book is called 'Married to a Devil'.
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